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Data Filter for the Cloud

Datenfilter_fuer_die_Cloud

 

The cloud is convenient:

There are offerings, enabling data access everywhere, handing on access to colleagues, partners, customers or others all over the world as well as enabling synchronization of working environments. However, considering possible security deficiencies the price to pay for such convenience could be high. One of the risk are third parties getting unauthorized access to enterprise data too. Yet, to allow the cloud either for anything or nothing, is not the answer, but to find a subtle balance between convenience and security.

Any organization has non-critical information, which can be processed by any application in the cloud. Aside companies possess data, whose processing can be outsourced under legal requirements, and other information not being allowed to leave the organization’s responsibility area. But, instead of claiming an overall “secure cloud”, precise security requirements can be tied data, being classified beforehand, and their proper processing procedures. In case it is legally permissible the organization can also safeguard its data with proper service level agreements (SLAs). SLAs formally define the services a cloud provider has to deliver as well as the charges for these services. Also, as part of the agreements availability, warranty, reaction time as well as security standards could be defined.

In order to be able to ponder convenience against security, it is key to understand, where generalization is possible and where a finer granularity is important (see also “Golden Rules …”). Here, many times proven and tested data leakage prevention (DLP) procedures could be a good solution. The seven golden rules for handling the cloud provide a good motivation for a real time data classification as a prerequisite for the processing in different cloud systems.

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